- Born
- Birth nameJames Oliver Cromwell
- Nickname
- Jamie
- Height6′ 7″ (2.01 m)
- Born in Los Angeles but raised in Manhattan and educated at Middlebury College and Carnegie-Mellon University, James Cromwell is the son of film director John Cromwell and actress Kay Johnson. He studied acting at Carnegie-Mellon, and went into the theatre (like his parents) doing everything from Shakespeare to experimental plays. He started appearing on television in 1974, gaining some notice in a recurring role as Archie Bunker's friend Stretch Cunningham on All in the Family (1971), made his film debut in 1976, and goes back to the stage periodically. Some of his more noted film roles have been in Revenge of the Nerds (1984), Star Trek: First Contact (1996) and the surprise classic about a charming pig, Babe (1995). He garnered some of the best reviews of his career (many of which said he should have received an Oscar) for his role as a corrupt, conniving police captain in L.A. Confidential (1997).- IMDb mini biography by: M.S. Burton <suburton@u.washington.edu>
- SpousesAnna Stuart(January 1, 2014 - present)Julie Cobb(May 29, 1986 - 2006) (divorced)Anne Ulvestad(November 27, 1976 - 1986) (divorced, 3 children)
- ChildrenKate CromwellColin Cromwell
- Parents
- Deep gravelly authoritative voice
- Frequently plays authority figures who are often corrupt or bluntly unethical
- Towering height and slender frame
- At 6' 6.5", he is the tallest Oscar-nominated actor of all time (he was nominated for his Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Babe (1995)).
- Is the only actor to ever utter the words "Star Trek" on Star Trek itself. In the film Star Trek: First Contact (1996), his character Zefram Cochrane said to the crew, "...and you're all astronauts on... some kind of star trek?".
- He struggled somewhat early in his career on account of his height and the fact that few producers wanted someone towering over their leading men. Many of his early roles show him seated or leaning on something.
- Grew up to be taller than both of his parents: his father was 6' 3'' and his mother was 5' 4''. His son John Cromwell is even taller than him standing at a height of 6' 8''.
- In addition to having played four United States Presidents, he appears in The Queen (2006) as Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II.
- [on his Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Babe (1995)] Andy Warhol said everybody gets their 15 minutes of fame. And if this is mine, I couldn't imagine a better 15 minutes.
- [on the Black Panthers movement of the 1960s] The goal of the government was to get all the leaders of the Black Panther Party in jail so that they could be killed systematically through prison violence, and that way they could stop what was a very powerful and evolving movement. I don't think we would have the kind of prison population now and what happens in this country with the gangs if the Panthers had been allowed to continue what they decided to do, which was basically empower black communities to take back their self-control and reestablish the dignity of being a black person in this country.
- I was embarrassed by the director, Blake Edwards, who looked at me and said, "What am I supposed to do with THAT?". I was a little hurt to be referred to as an inanimate object at an audition. I was told by my agent that a number of big stars won't work with anyone two inches taller than them and most of them are under six feet, so you have to be prepared to have trouble.
- Making the movie Babe (1995) opened my eyes to the intelligence and the inquisitive personalities of pigs. These highly social animals possess an amazing capacity for love, joy and sorrow that makes them remarkably similar to our beloved canine and feline friends.
- [on the story of The Promise (2016)] The love story is a way of getting people to begin the process, to feel for the characters, and then understand... can we not have compassion for people who are suffering around the world today? If we can have compassion for them, we can have compassion for the Armenians. If we can have compassion for the Armenians, then we have compassion for the Native Americans, and it goes on... it's to open the heart. [2017]
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content